The Adventures of Tim the Robot

That version with the robot, by the way, really exists. I think it got published in the wake of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, with the idea of both ridiculing and circumventing the discussion about Twain’s choice of words in Huckleberry Finn. No idea if that version is worth reading, though.

As for Twain’s original version, I’ve always read Twain’s choice of words as a deliberate one, made to drive the point home even more strongly. And the point isn’t just that nobody can seriously claim another person as property, it’s also a lesson in how it’s done – how people got away with it and didn’t raise much of anybody’s eyebrow for such a long time. By use of words, mainly. Dehumanizing words that made a kid like Huck Finn not even think of Jim in terms of a fellow human.

So, while I accept and understand (as well as a white guy can) that a reader of color has every reason to be upset about it (as we all should: it’s kind of the point), this is the one book where, for me, ‘robot’ just won’t do.

And that’s my contribution to Banned Books Week. But the story will continue…